


Life Carries On

by StardustDragon



Category: Yogscast
Genre: Cancer, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-12
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-29 02:12:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/681539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustDragon/pseuds/StardustDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the outside, Sips knows he looks like a cold-hearted bastard, but his friends see a different side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life Carries On

When Sips is two months from turning seventeen, he has to go to the doctor to get flu medication because of his hacking coughs and constant vomiting. The doctor performs a regular check-up while he’s there, and finds a curious lump between his collarbone and neck. He’s sent to the hospital for tests. 

After being given the verdict, he left the hospital and headed immediately for Sjin’s house. 

The younger teen cried. Sips held him close and shut his eyes against the world, letting his guard down and a tear or two out. 

Sips made Sjin promise not to tell anyone- only his teachers would know so he could get his work when he was out, but he didn’t want their friends to know. He didn’t want to be treated any differently. 

“Why tell me, then?” 

Sips pauses, turning his head slightly to breathe in Sjin’s shampoo. “Because I love you.” 

Life carries on. 

\---

Within a month, they determine he’s going to need chemotherapy for approximately a year. He frowns for half a second before he comes up with an idea. 

He comes into school the next day with his head shaved, pretending it’s just a new style he’s trying out. 

\---

When the chemotherapy begins, Sips thinks maybe he can do this- the treatment will work and the tumor will go away and he’ll be okay again. 

At night, he and Sjin hold each other close and pretend they don’t notice him getting thinner. 

\---

After the fifth treatment in as many months, the doctors tell Sips it’s receding.

“Hey, faggot,” the school bully says as he shoves Lalna into a wall. 

“Terrence.” 

“So what were you doing in there, huh? Making some kind of faggot drug?”

“Actually, I was giving a presentation on the correlation between bullies and defected areas of the brain.” 

Terrence shoves him again, and Lalna knows there’s going to be a bruise, but he doesn’t let it show on his face. 

“You know, it really is quite interesting, the similarities between people who were treated either extremely poorly or extremely well, and those who bully. Perhaps I could take a look inside your head- I’ll need a microscope, though.” 

This time, he gets clocked across the jaw. 

“Hey!” comes the shout of a deep voice. “Get the fuck off him.”

Terrence laughs, drops Lalna, and takes a swing at Sips, who grabs his arm and twists it around his back. It takes a lot of effort because Terrence is a big guy and Sips isn’t as strong as he was a few months ago. He twists a bit harder though, and it’s enough to make Terrence shove him off and leave. 

Sips turns to Lalna, checking him over for any other injuries, but sees none. He nods. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m…fine. Are you?” 

“Never better, Lalna. Now come on, let’s get out of here.”

Lalna nods. “Hey, my birthday’s in a couple weeks and we were talking about having it at Honeydew’s, since he’s got a pool. You can come, if you want.” 

Sips says, “I think about it,” but he knows he’ll be there. 

\---

“Honeydew, where’s my cap?” Xephos says, rummaging through his trunk frantically. 

“On your head,” comes Sips’ deep bass. 

“Sips! You scared me, friend.” He reaches a hand to his head and notes that Sips was right. “What are you doing here?”

“The dwarf said you needed some help stealing some stuff from the school, and I figured I’d loan some help. Or five fingers.” Sips shrugs. 

“It’s not stealing, it’s… borrowing for science.”

\---

Sips laughs. “Sure, fine. ‘Borrowing for science.’ Let’s go, the school’s unlocked today.” 

They walk right in, none of the teachers bothering Xephos because he’s a good student, or Sips because they take pity on him. 

One of the chemistry labs is open, so they slip in quietly and begin to take small amounts of what Xephos needs. 

As they’re zipping up the small bag, a teacher comes in, demanding to know what they’re doing. Sips reacts quickly, shaking his shoulders and making a hiccupping noise. 

“Son, are you crying?” Sips brings his hands up to his eyes and wipes away fake tears. 

“Sorry, sir. Won’t happen again.”

The teacher doesn’t know what to say, thrown off by the normally put-together student apparently breaking down, and he leaves. 

“Sips, friend… Any one of the teachers here would have called you out on that. What’s changed?”

“Nothing, Xeph’. Let’s get out of here.”

\---

“Oi, Sips, gimme a hand here, wouldya?” 

Honeydew is strong, so the box he’s trying to carry up to his room must be pretty heavy. 

“Sure. What’s in the box?” 

“Nope, can’t tell you that, sorry.” 

Sips helps him carry the box upstairs even though his arms shake with the effort by the end. God damn. He crosses them to hide the shakes. 

“Thanks, Sips. Hey, you okay?” 

“Just peachy, thanks.” 

\---

It’s finally time for Lalna’s birthday, and they all gather at Honeydew’s house with presents and cake. They’re sitting around in the living room when Honeydew decides they all need to go swimming. 

Everyone came prepared, already in their trunks, except Sips. He can’t get his port wet, but he follows them all out onto the deck anyway. 

They’re all horsing around in the water when Honeydew realizes Sips hasn’t joined them. 

“Sips, come on! Don’t be a sourpuss.” 

Sjin tries to distract Honeydew, knowing full-well that Sips can’t get in the pool with them, but the dwarf is on a mission to make Sips have fun. 

“Look, I don’t want to, Honeydew,” he says as the dwarf comes closer, but he doesn’t stop. 

Honeydew is about to try and toss him in the pool when he grazes the port under his shirt, making Sips hiss as it moves. 

“What, d’you have a bruise from fighting again? Lemme see.”

Sips lets him pull the sleeve up, but doesn’t meet anyone’s eyes. Honeydew’s mum had cancer- he recognizes the port. 

“Sips… Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want you guys to look at me differently.”

“We wouldn’t do that,” protests Xephos.

“You’re doing it right now!” He snaps. “I think I can fight off some god damned cancer on my own.” Hearing the word makes them all frown.

Xephos and Lalna are floating at the edge of the pool, but Sjin has climbed out to sit next to him. 

“You don’t have to, friend.”

“If you want to, though,” Lalna finishes. “Just remember we’re here for you, yeah?”

After a moment, Sips nods. “Hey, Honeydew, come here,” he says, standing up to go near the edge of the pool. Xephos and Lalna back away, worried about what he’s going to do. When Honeydew comes over, oblivious as ever, Sips shoves him back in the pool. 

Sips takes Sjin’s hand and pulls him inside, just needing a moment to breathe. Sjin lets him cling as tightly as he needs, out of sight of the others. 

When Sips pulls back and meets Sjin’s eyes, he has a soft smile on, something only for Sjin. 

“They’re going to ask questions,” Sips starts. 

“You don’t have to answer them if you don’t want to. They’ll understand.”

“No, I… they should know.” He turns his head and looks outside at the three of them splashing around in the pool. “But not today.”

Together, they head back outside, and Sjin kisses him lightly before being dragged back into the water. 

Sips watches with amusement as they attempt to wear each other out.


End file.
